High Horsepower & High Speed Demand High-Quality Tires.

Exclusive to Implement & Tractor

Farm tires have always had it tough, working in punishing conditions that could range from sticky mud one day and abrasive sand the next. Now they must meet the demands of powerful new tractors that deliver extraordinary horsepower to pull enormous

Those cutting-edge tractors -- already familiar in Europe and now gaining popularity across North America -- can travel the roads at speeds as high as 48 mph. Such speed can create enormous heat buildup in many standard tires, according to Dov Derman, head of tire engineering and development for Alliance Tire.

"A tire is born in heat and dies in heat," he said. "Heat during the curing process gives it shape and strength, but heat buildup during use -- at high speed, high load and low inflation pressure -- can destroy the tire."

Implement tires also have to keep up with today's farm equipment technology and to resist heat build-up. They also need to be tough, yet ride gently to improve driver comfort and reduce soil compaction, according to Wes Esau, engineering manager-square baler products for Hay and Forage Industries in Hesston, Kan.

"Part of the challenge is that tractors travel faster." he explained. "Where we used to run at 15 to 18 miles per hour, now we're running 22 to 24 miles per hour."

In addition to reinforcing beads with heavy-gauge steel wire to translate the brute force of high-horsepower equipment to the tire without rim slippage, Alliance introduced the industry's first steel-belted ag radial flotation tire in February. Building radial flotation tires with steel belts instead of the textile belts commonly used in ag radials allowed Alliance's tire engineers to construct a more durable flotation tire, Derman said. Thus, the resulting A-380 flotation radial is rated for heavier loads and speeds as high as 42 mph (70 km/h).

Steel also doesn't build up heat as readily as textile belts do, he added. And using two steel belts that offer the same strength as several more tile belts results in radial flotation tires with fewer layers, which also reduces heat buildup.

Creative tread designs also help balance traction with a smooth, relatively quiet ride on the road. Wayne Dokken, senior buyer for Loral Products Inc. in Benson, Minn., said this is particularly important to fertilizer applicator operators who have to spend a lot of time in transit between fields. He said he changed to Alliance I-328 flotation tires for the company's fertilizer applicators for a number of reasons.

"They wear like iron, and they're easy to balance and keep balanced, which results in a very smooth ride," he says. "Now it's our standard steering-axle tire. I'd say 99 percent of our spreaders go out with Alliance tires on the front axle."

Tire durability is influenced significantly by rubber compound chemistry -- complex recipes that balance the pros and cons of synthetic rubber, natural rubber, many grades of carbon black and a variety of other elastomers, fillers and chemicals, Deman said.

"It's not unusual for a farm tire to contain 10 or more different compounds fused together, each developed for a specific function," he said.

For instance, stiff bead compound keeps the tire firmly attached to the rim, translating energy from the axle into pulling power. The flexing of sidewalls provides a more comfortable ride and a wider footprint, but demands a compound that resists fatigue and heat buildup from the constant bending. And tread compound must be durable, abrasion resistant and able to dissipate heat.

Derman expects American farmers and custom applicators to adopt more radial and flotation technology in the next few years, driven by the need for high-efficiency, long-lived, high-performance ag tires.

"In a large operation, it becomes easier to see that radials last two or three years longer than bias-ply tires, or that the equipment performs better on radials," he said. "But on any sized farm, especially where it is often necessary to work in wet conditions, the flexibility that flotation tires provide is quickly apparent."

Both ag radials and flotation tires are already standard equipment in Europe, Derman said. "Alliance's s radials and "fast flotation" tires, which are rated to 55 mph, have become a hit in Germany, France, England and other nations in the EU."

Esau is not surprised. "In Europe, custom balers and contract farm managers probably spend half their time on the road as they travel among small, widely separated fields."

In North America, Alliance is working closely with several OEMs to supply tires where durability and quality are needed, Derman said. The company's line of tires is also available through many dealers around the country who serve the replacement tire market.

Alliance Tire, based in Hadera, Isreal, sells tires in 65 countries. The company was established in 1951 and went public in 1992. Sales exceed $100 million. The international leadership includes Zvi Meiri, CEO and president; Simon Soesan; vice-president of marketing and sales; and Pini Vidislavski, CFO and treasurer.

Alliance sees its small size as asset, particularly when working with OEMs that need small changes in tire size or when GEs need customized tires. The company was able to introduce 28 new designs and sizes in 2000.

The company employs about 900 people in its manufacturing operation and international sales and marketing offices. The plant in Hadera, with a recent $75 million upgrade in 2000, has production capability of 55,000 tons per year and is designs for fast turnover from one model to another. Adapting an existing Alliance design to a new size or compound can be completed in 6 to 10 months, including mold manufacture and quality control testing of the new tire.